Goth
by Sakira
Summary: It's now in chapters. YES!!! Come, review it! I've got part three up. It's not as suicidal as the rest, but do not be dissapointed, for yonder there is much darkness to behold.
1. Goth

‚~Goth~ƒ

  
  
  


**_***************_**

  
  


Disclaimer: I don't own them, and personally, today I don't think I _want_ to. The American rights go to Fox Kids, and Japanese rights belong to someone else. Okey? Not me. Oh, and also, I _don't_ own the CD "Disturbing Faerie Tales", it's all Queo's. She wrote it, she sang it, she invented it. The song you see here is called _Lost_, and the one you see next time is called _Silent Prayers_. It's hers. So _back off_ you can't have it. Yep, I'm her lawyer, too.  
  
A/N--I don't know where this came from. I can promise you, I did _not_ write this. I swear I didn't. It wrote itself, while I looked on horrified. Actually, it was tough writing what that weird little voice was saying, because this was done in HTML script and we all know how confusing it is to write in HTML. Kay? Believe me? You don't? Well, read it and you might...  
  


**_*****_**

  
  
_What was it? Was it a dream? Or was it real? No, it was real. They're really gone. They're not comming back. And it's my fault._  
  
She sat at her dresser and looked at the face staring back at her. Long, black hair, which covered her face and hid her emotions. Black eye liner, to hide the truth of lack of sleap, and black lipstick to hide the teeth marks on her pale pink lips. The make up never changed. Chalky white skin. Huge, frigid, icy green eyes were the only color at all on her face. Her clothes were black. Always black. Never any change. She twisted a lock of long black hair thoughtfully. It was time. There was no way to deny it...  
  
"Sweetie?" A voice from the floor above called the girl from her thoughts. A sweet voice which held only love and worry. "Honey, please come upstairs for dinner. Please, you haven't eaten anything in days. You haven't even left your room. I'm worried about you...."  
  
"Don't be." The girl murmered to herself. "I am of no concern. I'm not even suposed to be here."  
  
"Oh, please answer me." The voice cracked slightly, as if the speaker was trying so hard to hold back tears. "Please, oh, please don't be like this. You're all I've got left....please come eat something. Please, come up stairs. I love you, I want you to be healthy. Please eat something..."  
  
The voice broke down in tears. The girl hated to hear the sobs, but could not, or more correctly, did not, do any thing to stop them. Instead, she draped a cloth (black) over the miror and picked up a small, black leather back pack, and pulled on her big-ass boots. Black, of course, reaching up almost all the way to her knees. She took one final look around the room, fixed her shirt (black vest-type shirt, leather again) and fixed her mini-skirt (black pleather, reaching only a little past her thighs) and bent over to tie the boots. She fixed the black fish net socks, and stood up.  
  
Sighing, she walked over to the window at the corner of the basement room. Quietly, she pused it open. Before climbing out, however, she took a single, foot long, pure white feather out of her back pack. Gentally, she cradled it in her thin, pale hands. A single tear slipped down her cheek. But, as soon as it appeared, the tear was gone, and her eyes hardened.  
  
"I don't believe in love," Hitomi growled silently, and crumpled the feather in her hand, and dropped it into the trash can. Silently, she slipped out the open window and into the moonless night, but not before throwing her pendant necklace as far as she could to the East, the opposite of the way she was going.....  
  


**_*****_**

  
  
"Merle, stop cheeting!" Van laughed, and tackled her to the ground. Pinning her against the warm grass, he sneered, "Hitomi says you're not allowed to touch the ball."  
  
"But Hitomi isn't _here_, is she?" Merle snered back at him, and did a quick cat-like spin, and darted out of Van's clutches. She scampered over to the forgotten soccer ball, and grabbed it in her arms. "But _I_ am here, so we're gonna play by _my_ rules."  
  
She rammed her head into Van's side to get past him, and smashed the ball through the crudly-made goal. Doing a hyper victory dance, Merle pranced around the dark feild.  
  
From a shadowed corner, a voice called out, "Van's right, you can't do that unless you're playing rugby. If you pick up the ball durring soccer, it's concidered cheeting."  
  
Van and Merle looked at each other. Then they looked at the speaker, then back at each other. Nodding, they tackled the speaker to the ground. Van grinned, "Last time I checked, Celena, no one asked you."  
  
"Gerroff, you nuts!" The girl lauged, and tried to push away from them. "Get off or I'll set Allan on you!"  
  
Van turned blue, and disappeared to pout in a corner. "Don't say that name!"  
  
"Uh...I guess he's not all that fond of your brother..." giggled Merle.  
  
"Guess not." Laughed Celena. "I don't know many people who _do_, he's so stuck up and such a typical big annoying brother...but he's much better since he got his hair cut!"  
  
"Sorry, Van!" She called to him. "I won't say his name any more."  
  
Van came back over. Frowning at her, he grumbled, "Good. Well, in that case, then...ouch!"  
  
He rubbed his head and glared up at the sky. A small, red _thing_ had fallen out of the sky and bashed him on the head. Looking down at the ground, he picked up the culpret. A necklace with an amulet on the end. Hitomi's necklace.  
  
"Hey, guys!" Van called to the others.  
  
"We're _girls_, not guys silly." Merle grumbled, but walked over anyways, Celena following her.  
  
"Look what just dropped in on us?" He held up the necklace to show the two seventeen-year-old girls. They both stared in awe, and Merle put out a hand to touch it. A pillar of pink light suddenly engulfed the three, and pulled them into the night sky....  
  


**_*****_**

  
  
_I don't know where I am any more, and I don't even know...._ Hitomi thought to herself, and wandered aimlessly through the deserted streets of some large inner city. She had been walkeing for over four hours, and her feet were begining to hurt her. The boots were made of a good, soft leather, and she could move eaisly in them, she could even do one of her deadly tae kwon do kicks in them (she had decided she was too much of a sissy durring her stay at Gaea, and decided it was time to learn to defend herself. She currently had a second degree black belt) but the fish net socks themselvs were what were killing her. She smiled down at her feet. The pain made her feel she was alive, and made her keep going. She needed the pain to continue to where she was going. Without the pain to remind her, she would have given in and went home.  
  
She stumbled along for another hour or so, when she found herself in a large field. She couldn't figgure out how she had gotten there, as there were no large, green pastures anywhere around where she lived. She turned around three times before she decided herself lost. Opening her back pack, she took out a small metal object. _This would have been better if I was in a back ally like dad and my brother were, but I suppose this is as good a place as any..._  
  
She then took out of her bag a small, empty jar, a piece of paper, and one more long white feather. Silently, she pressed the metal object (which happened to be a small dagger bearing the Fanelian crest) against her left wrist. She watched, with a somewhat sick facination, as the sticky red liquid trickled from her wrist to the jar. She felt a little nausious, but ignored it and instead dipped the feather (not the feather part, that bone-like part) into the blood. With a scratching sound, she began writing...   
  
_Dear Mother,_ she wrote, _I'm sorry for what I have to do. I know how hard this will be for you, but I shall plague your life no more with my trivial existance. I feel what happened was my fault, and my mistakes must be repented. I do this to right the wrongs which have been done. I beg you to forgive me, but I have to do this..._  
  
She looked sullenly at the dagger pressed against her wrist. She drew it away, and stared at it, contemplating it's purpose. She put it down on the tall grass slowly, and out of her bag she pulled a disc-man. Her movements were belated, as if a movie watched in slow motion. Slowly, she pulled the head phones over her ears. Into the disc man, she put in a black disc entitled "Disturbing Faerie Tails." An annoyed, angry, and upset female voice sang softly into her ear, tormenting her soul, and blackening her heart.  
  


_Lost and lonley,  
she's wandrin'  
Through the memories,  
Crusin her soul,  
Freezin her heart,  
Thoughts are gone,  
There's nothing left,  
There's no tomorow,  
For her...  
It's just  
Lost  
And gone forever  
It's just the way of things  
The girl's got nothin left,  
Just livin cuz she must  
She slips through days,  
through weeks  
and years  
(and years....)  
Watin for it all to end...  
  
_

Closing her eyes, she brought the small knife up to her chest and positioned directly on her solarplex. Closing her eyes, a single tear trickled down her cheak. It was because her eyes were closed that she did not see the pink spiral appearing thirty feet away, in the middle of the field....  
  


**_*****_**

  
  


FIN  
  


**_*****_**

  
  


Well? Did ya like it? Should I add more? Feed back, pleaaaaaase?? I'm gonna need at least ten reviews to get up the next part, cuz the HTML format is just waaaay too tough for me. Now, on the other hand, for Queo, she'd be jumping for joy at the prospect of using HTML formating....Oh, and also, I reeeeealy did not enjoy writing this, I don't really know where it came from...I really freaked myself out with this one, and I'm still having nightmares...  
  
  
  


*I came to feed the fish*


	2. Goth--part two

~Goth~

  
  
  


**_***************_**

  
  
  
  


Disclaimer: I didn't own them yesterday, so what makes you think I might own them today? The American rights go to Fox Kids, and Japanese rights belong to someone else. Okey? Not me. Oh, and also, I don't own the CD "Disturbing Faerie Tales", it was (and still is) Queo's. She wrote it, she sang it, she invented it. The song you saw previously was called _Lost_, what you saw was not the whole thing, though. It was really cool, you'd have to listen to it on the CD she recorded, there's a guitar solo and everything. Sometimes she sort of sounds like Alanis Morrisette, only a lot scarier and more...I dunno, dark and intense. The one you see here is called _Silent Prayers_. It's hers. So there's really no point in trying to take it cuz she'll just get mad and bite your head off.   
  
A/N--Once again, the little voice in my head wrote this, not me. The evil voice that said "Make Hitomi weird and suicidal...Make Van be some crazy teenager with not cares what so ever even though he _is_ the king of Fanelia..." Actually, it was tough writing what the voice was saying, because this was done in HTML script and we all know how confusing it is to write in HTML. If you still don't believe me, go write your own HTML script and then come back to see me. Yes, I am in a very bad mood today because I got in a big fight with Queo and now she hates me. Doesn't life seem to always work out like that? Oh, well, at least I'm still best buds with Icy....Intherma and Sis I don't know about....oh, I didn't tell y'all (because none of you care) but that's too bad I'm gonna tell you anyways: Sis is moving to Ohio (why Ohio? No idea what so ever) and Intherma is moving to Maine. Why are they both moving at the same time? It's ironic that it worked out like this, but their dads both got transferred at the _exact same time_. Creepy, huh? Oh, am I rambling again? Sorry....I'll try not to...Well, go have fun and read...  
  


**_*****_**

**  
**

Van, Merle and Serena fell to the ground, smashing into it with a large _THUMP_. Merle was first to get up, and, as usual, first to complain.  
  
"OW!! What just hapened? Where are we? Why aren't we in the court yard of the Fanelian Castle? Van, why are you staring like that? Why don't you answer me? _Hello_?" Merle babbled on, if only to hear the sound of her own voice. Van, on the other hand, was staring, horrified, at something at the other end of the field. He seemed to be frozen in time, but, no sooner had Merle and Celena made this assumption, he was on his feet and tearing across the field like a mad man, screaming at the top of his lungs.  
  
"HITOMI!!! HITOMI, DON'T DO THAT!!!!" He roared at a silent figure sitting huddled in the dark. He flung himself at the figgure, obviously Hitomi, trying to knock the object out of her hands. Throwing his arms around her, he cried, bewildered, "Oh, my God, Hitomi, what are you doing???"  
  
The figgure, a girl with raven black hair climbing down her back like a vine, struggled in vain to get out of his strong grasp.  
  
"No, let go of me!" She sobbed, the object she was holding in her small, pale hands fell to the ground without a sound. She pushed at his shoulders to get him to back away, but when he wouldn't, she smashed a hard, balled up fist straight into his nose. There was a sickening crunch as the cartilage broke, and the warm fluids flowed out. She screamed at him, "LET ME GO! You can't kill me like you killed my father and my brother! I won't let you hurt me! You can't touch me!!"  
  
Celena, completly bewildered by now, whispered to Merle, "What's she talking about?"  
  
Merle shrugged. "I dunno, but she doesn't seem to, either."  
  
Mean while, Van was wondering the same thing. Trying to ignore the burning pain in his nose, he grabbed her wrists to get her to stop thrashing. What he saw made him weak with disbelief. He whispered into her ear, tears streaming down his face, to match the ones on hers, "Why, Hitomi? Why'd you do it?"  
  
Her eyes were cloudy, and unseeing. But, looking up at him, her eyes cleared a ephemeral moment, and she whispered, "Van?"  
  
Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she crumpled like a limp child against his chest.  
  
"Merle! Celena! Quick, help me!" He called to the others. They raced over, and he Merle held out the pendant.  
  
"What's wrong with her, Van-Sama?" The little-girl worry saturated her voice.  
  
"Give me the pendant, Merle, she needs to see a doctor." Van, eyes cold, reached out for the necklace. As he touched it, the pink spiral shot up into the sky, enveloping the three, and carrying them to another world....  
  


**_*****_**

**  
As Hitomi regained consciousness, she found herself spinning though some strange paranormal dimension, in a dream-like state. All around her, she saw faces of her past. Yukari, Amano, and other loyal friends she had lost over the last year. Her mother's worried face danced infront of Hitomi's eyes...her grandmother, her track team. Then, faces which she had not seen for two years. Van...Merle...Allan...Milerna...Dryden....friends she had faught beside, and were gone to her for ever.  
  
_Is this what death is like? Faces? Remembrance? Or am I only in a state of shock, maybe in a coma due to blood loss? Have I made up for my faults? Or am I destined to spend eternity completing unfinished business?_  
  
Eight more faces pased by her. Three were dark and scarred. One cruel and ugly. One more was young, provocative, and very hot, but horrible deceitful. Two were familiar, and sympathetic. But they were so sad, full of sorrow and regret....The final face was that of pure evil, scared, blemished, and satanic. Six of the faces surrounded the two Hitomi recognized. Closing in, they surrounded the friendly faces. The faces she knew. The faces of her brother and father.  
  
"_Hitomi,_" called the face of her father, "_How could you let this happen...._"  
  
"_Hitomi, it's too late..._" The voice of her brother. "_You will never be able to right the wrongs you forced upon us...._"  
  
A swirling white gas-like liquid danced around Hitomi's throat, and stole her breath from her lungs. She felt her stregnth leaving her body. She gasped for air, but all that came was the gas, filling her lungs, depriving her from oxygen, killing her from inside out. From somewhere, she heard her CD playing the next track...  
  


_Tears fall,  
Through the years,  
With no one to catch them,  
No one to curb the fears  
Drifting in and out,  
Never find a place,  
A space,  
A life to live  
Silent prayers is all that's left  
Silent prayers to stop the tears  
Silent prayers to curb the fears  
Silent preayers...  
And though they're silent,  
Someone hears  
So it's not that bad after all...  
_

  
  


**_*****_**

  
  
Van sat on a chair next to the Castle's hospital wing bed, which was currently occupied by a small, thin girlish figure. He gazed at her, worried, pondering what had happened. This poor sweet girl, no more than a child when he first met her, had done something horrible and unimaginable to herself. Something that made him want to cry, to scream, to break something. He took one of her bandaged hands into his. He closed his eyes and hung his head. It had been three days now, and still she hadn't woken up. She showed no signs of life, save for her slow heart beat, which Sister John Robberts, the Castle's resident doctor and nun who had appeared from the Mystic Moon some time ago and felt that she was better needed here than home, said was a very bad sign, and that Hitomi probably wouldn't pull through.  
  
"C'mon, Hitomi," He whispered, "You've got to pull through. You can't leave me, not again."  
  
"I told you you shouldn't come in here," a voice from behind scolded. Van, feeling very much like a naughty school boy caught doing something he shouldn't be, spun arround to see none other than Sister John Roberts, the strict, sixty year old doctor, former nun, and sincere control freak. Van, defiently, refused to drop Hitomi's hand. The sister glowered, and continued, "If you want her to get better, you have to give her some rest. You've been comming here every time I've left, haven't you? Uh, you bad, bad king."  
  
Van looked at her in shock, and annoyance. "Are you allowed to tell me that?"  
  
"As a messanger of God, the only decent medical personel in this whole God forsaken place, and an American, I'm allowed to tell you anything I damn well please." She put on a face which clearly stated, 'I'm incharge, what do you wanna do about it', and frowned, "Well? Have you been?"  
  
Van pouted, but nodded to confirm her suspicions.  
  
"Well, I suppose since you're here already, and I need to help another patient in the east wing of the castle, you can take over," She sighed, fixed her nun gear [the face/hat thingy] and grumbled about something or another. Handing Van a piece of paper and a cloth smelling of camphor and spice, she told him, "This is a list of everything you'll need to do to make her better. I seriously doubt that you can handle taking responsibility of another human being, so if she doesn't wake up I'll know who to blame. And this, this is a cloth that has a special medicine in it which will keep her from breaking into a feaver."  
  
Van nodded, and replied, "Don't be rude, rude messangers of God are liable to get themselfs dismised."  
  
"Humph. Then see if your little friend pulls out of it. Really, I don't know what you _people_, if that's what you call yourselvs, would do with out me. If you weren't the King, I'd really like to introduce you to my ruler." She scowled. Shaking her fist at him and starting for the door, she told him, "If there is any change in her condition, for better or for worse, send a messanger with word. I want to know right away, so I can get on with the medical procedure."  
  
With that final note, she left the room. Van looked back at Hitomi's pale face. It was splattered with dried blood, and black makeup. He placed the cloth Sister John Robberts gave to him over her forhead, and stood up. He walked slowly to the other side of the room, where a basin of water was located. Picking up the face cloth which was on the saucer next to it, he dipped it into the water. Van wrung the cloth until it was only slightly damp, then made his way back to Hitomi's motionless form. He then proceded in wiping the substance off her face. All the makeup and blood was off her face, when...  
  
"I'm sorry, father." Hitomi whispered, eyes still closed. Van peered at her, confused. "Brother, I'm sorry, I didn't want for it to happen."  
  
"Hitomi?" Van put his hand on her shoulder, shaking it gently. Atleast he knew she was alive. "Hitomi, can you hear me?"  
  
"But I trusted Gio, I really did. He was so nice to me, but I should have taken your advice." Hitomi yawned, and shivered. "But why did you follow me to the party? And when I left with Gio, why did you follow me? What made you come down the ally after me? How did you know he was part of that gang?"  
  
"Hitomi, please snap out of it." Van was feeling very confused by now. "What are you talking about? Who's Gio?"  
  
"But why did you have to take the bullet for me, brother? Why couldn't you let me take care of myself?" She turned on her side so she was fully facing Van. A lock of black hair fell over the front of her face. "You know I could have taken them if I needed to. Father, why did you have to try to fight them off? You know you'd just..."  
  
She yawned again, looking very much like a small child. Van pushed the piece of hair out of her face, placing it behind her ear. He pouted at her, and whined at her, "Hitomi, wake up. It's Van. Because I am the King of Fanelia, I command you to wake up and you can't say no because I'm the king and no one can diobey me. So ha."  
  
Hitomi yawned again. "But now I'm so sleepy, father. Brother, I think I will take a little nap..."  
  
"Didn't you hear me, Hitomi?" Van sulked, "I'm the king of Fanelia so what I say goes or you might get yourself thrown into the dungeon with that annoying nun."  
  
But, Hitomi's eyes stayed closed. **

  
  


**_*****_**

**  
Oh, yeah, I'm so cool, lookey, I got up part two!!!! ::is extremly pleased and burns everything in sight:: Just wait, Celena's gonna have a biiiiiig part in the story veeeery soon! And we might even get a little bit of Dilly in here!!!!!  
Little Voice In My Head: No, Dilandau can't be in the story. It has to be some strange, very dark fic in which everyone dies or kills themselfs. I am the voice in your head so you can't say no.  
Me: I can do anything I want, I'm not under you influence anymore. ::sticks tongue out:: I even wrote the story while listening to the song "Cat's Delicacy", not to your dumb SlipKnot, Korn, and other suicidal bands. So nyah. ::turns back to the readers:: Yep, this story is going to get lighter and lighter, then it's gonna go blah and get scary and dark. ::cackles evily:: Oh, I didn't tell everyone yet, did I? I should probably change the first author's note, but I'm too lazy to do that so I'm just gonna tell you here. Queo and I aren't in a fight any more!!! ::is surprised at the fact that absolutly no one cares:: Well, fine, see if I care if you don't care about my sad, and very borring social life. But at least some of you do...::waves madly to Dragon Star, who is burning things with the blow torch Sakira gave as a gift::...hehe....okay, I'm gonna go now. Ja!  
  


*I came to feed the fish*

**


	3. Goth--part three

~Goth~

  
  
  


**_***************_**

  
  
  
  


Disclaimer: You know the drill. The American rights go to Fox Kids, and Japanese rights belong to someone else. Not me, I'm not making any prophit off of this. I don't own the CD "Disturbing Faerie Tales", it was (and still is) Queo's. She wrote it, she sang it, she invented it. It's hers. The song you saw previously was called _Silent Prayers_. It's not the whole thing, though. It's very cool and very dark. It's also very hers. So there's really no point in trying to take it cuz she'll just get mad and chase after you with her flamethrower or something.   
  
A/N--The voice in my head wanted to write this one, but I wouldn't let it. I was in a bad mood and wanted to write it myself.  
  
On a very dark note, I'm angry and frustrated and I'm depressed and I can't spell today because I got in another fight with people who would rather remain anonymous, and my life's a mess. So, if I get all mad and start breakin stuff, you'll know why. Also, I got a 79% on a test that I should have aced. Evil teacher rigged it. ::toarches math teacher, then pouts with Dilandau:: Sooo, you're all gonna have to put up with darkness and angst. Yippi. And Milton Academy can die and burn in hell, I dun wanna do the damn application. AARG! Maji mukatsuku. To anyone who wants me to shut up already: o mae shineyo.   
  
  
  


**_*****_**

**  
**

_Where am I? I was so tired, I know I fell asleep, but where am I now? Was it all a dream? If it was, I swear, I'll destroy the maker of the dream. But, it seemed so real. I'm no longer sleepy, though, so I can open my eyes....and if it was only a dream, I've nothing to worry about._  
  
Hitomi's eyes fluttered open, with much resistance, as if they hadn't been used for years. She yawned, and streached her arms to either side of her, taking in her sorroundings. The bed she was on...her back pack thrown carelessly against a wall...two moons streaming through the open window, the only thing penetrating the inky black night sky...and a teenage boy (or man?) slumped in a chair beside the bed, obviously asleep. Perfectly normal, perfectly beautiful.  
  
"Wait a minute, _two_ moons!? And a bishounen sleeping here? Next to _me_!!" Gasped Hitomi in a high pitched, girlish voice. Grinning madly, she bolted up in the bed she was in, and tried her best to contain herself. "Then I must _really_ be dreaming after all!! Because there's now way I can be on Gaea, next to an adorable bishounen, because only a while ago I tried to...."  
  
Hitomi blinked, and trailed off as it dawned on her. Everything that had happened in the cource of...how ever long...it all came rushing back. Gio, his gang, her father and brother, the little red-wrist incident...  
  
"Oh, my God, what have I done??" She put on an utterly horrified face, and for the first time in weeks, her mind cleared and it dawned upon her how stupid she had been. She felt slightly nausiated at her own actions, and more than a bit faint. But, because she was too strong to be such a girly whimp, and because she had nothing better to do, she moved past her own wrong-doings, and concentrated her energy on finding the identity of the really hot guy sleeping next to the bed she was in.  
  
_He seems familiar..._she thought to herself, her mind muddled and confused_ I know I've seen him before..but..._  
  
Hitomi clenched her fists, and it was all she could do to keep from screaming out in annoyance.   
  
Pushing the covers aside, Hitomi eased her way out of the bed. She looked down at herself, and was met by the appaling attire which would be more suitable for an American streat walker in downtown Boston or Ghetto New York [quick note--not to offend anyone of those areas. Do not take offence. Arigato] or maybe the bad areas of Tokyo. Not that of a respectable teenager, who got all A's on everything, and was captin of the track team! _The first thing I do when I figgure out what's going on here,_ Hitomi thought to herself, _Is get some better clothes._  
  
Deciding that she would need new clothes _before_ she could find out what was going on, Hitomi skidded around the room, in search of a closet or bathroom. With an extreme amount of luck, she found in a corner of the room a large wardrobe, filled with old dresses and nightgowns, all of whose owners had died or gone away. Sifting through the wardrobe, she realized that the clothes were all from Medieval England. Finally deciding on a pale-blue gown, she slipped out of her leather and into the dress, hoping the young man wouldn't awake as she did so. In the wardrobe where she found the dress was a miror. Looking at the dress (which for some reason fit her perfectly), she realized that it was probably something worn around of the time of Knights and Dragons. She laughed silently and halfheartedly. In Gaea, people _still_ dressed like that. It was slightly low cut, with long sleves that went to the end of her fingers. The bottom of the dress trailed quite a ways on the floor, and made her look taller. On the middle of the dress was a tie-belt with a long, dangling bead at the bottom. With the chore of getting something to wear out of the way, and luckily eaisly, she focused her attention elsewhere.  
  
Silently, Hitomi tip-toed over to the sleeping figure. She surveyed him from a few feet away, but still she couldn't figgure out his identity. _If his hair was a little longer, he might have been Van. But, his hair is short...like the Dragon Slayer, Migel's hair. But ... still, he really looks like Van..._ Hitomi steped forward, and peered closer at the man.  
  
"If only I could see his face..." she whispered. She bit one of her fingernails thoughtfully, and leaned closer still. She put her hand lightly on his chin so as to lift it up to see his face. But as she did this, the man yawned, and woke up.  
  
The man, who Hitomi could now see was about nineteen or twenty, steached and blinked up at her. She gasped and stumbled away from him. He, leaping out of his chair, caught her just in time so she wouldn't trip over her long dress.  
  
"You're awake," he informed her with a grin.  
  
"You're Van!" She cried, her face full of surprise.  
  
"Well, imagine that. I guess I am!" He laughed and huged her close to him.  
  
"Van..." Hitomi breathed into his chest, as he was very tall and she was still very short. Peering into his face, she questioned, "How....?"   
  
Van cut her question off short with a complement. He grined slyly down at her, and said, "You look nice in that dress."  
  
"Van, I..." Hitomi blushed furiously. Looking away from his face, she replied, "Arigato, Van."  
  
Unable to stop himself from teasing her, he bent his head a little and whispered into her ear, "I can imagine how nice you would look _without_ the dress."  
  
"Ge--Hentai!" Hitomi shoved Van away with the heels of her fists. She stormed to the other side of the room, and crossed her arms over her chest. "Henshu! I thought you were normal."  
  
_What'd I say wrong?_ Van thought to himself. _I was just teasing her. She should know that by now! Nineteen years old and she still doesn't know anything..._ He shrugged, and asked Hitomi, "What were you doing cutting your wrists back there, Hitomi? You know you could kill yourself if you lost too much blood."  
  
"Oh, really? You think so? Well, thanks for the science lesson, but I think I already graduated from fifth grade biology," she snapped back at him. "And I don't need anyone to look after me. Unless you're plaing on becomming my _mother_."  
  
_Why am I treating him this way?_ Hitomi's mind rheled with possible answers, but none seemed to fit. She didn't mean to be so hateful, but it was just comming out...  
  
"Hey, don't be so touchy! You're acting like a spoiled brat, Hitomi. Why don't you just cut it out?" Van shot back, feeling hurt. He was only trying to help.  
  
"Maybe I will. Maybe I'll just go back to earth and never come back! I'd much rather be there than here with you." With that, Hitomi spun around on her heals, and fled through the door. Van watched helplessly, and shook his head, confused.  
  
"I am _never_ going to be able to figgure that girl out..."   
  


**_*****_**

  
  
Hitomi sat on the balcony of an empty room in Van's castle. Braiding her long hair over her right shoulder, she pondered what had just happened.  
  
"Uuiii...why am I such a jerk? All he was trying to do was make me feel better. He was just teasing me..." She knocked her fist into the side of her head and wiped the tears off her face. "I know he was just teasing about what he said, to make me feel better. And I bit his head off. Why am I acting like this?? Ano...."  
  
"Hitomi?" A concerned voice asked slowly. Hitomi didn't even bother to look up to see who it was who had spoken.  
  
"Merle..." she whispered, her voice shakey. "Merle, what's happening to me...."  
  
"You okay?" The cat girl walked to Hitomi's side of the balcony, and sat down gracefully next to her. "Van-sama told me what happened...."  
  
"Oh, Merle!" Hitomi flung her arms around Merle's neck and sobbed uncontrolably into her shoulder. "I don't know what's happening to me..."  
  
Merle rubbed Hitomi's back, and patiently waited for her to stop crying. "Hiomi, it's okay...don't cry...."  
  
For the second time that night, Hitomi brushed the tears off of her face, and looked sadly at the teenager who sat next to her. "I....why am I acting like this?"  
  
"I dunno..." Merle grined and shruged. "But if you can't find an answer, you chould always blame it on PMS?"  
  
For the first time in a long time, Hitomi smiled a real, true smile. "I suppose I could...it's an answer that any guy will accept without question."  
  
"Of cource, it scares them," Merle told her with a look that clearly stated 'duh'. With a sigh, she continued, "You couldn't try that on Celena, though. You know she'd suspect something was up."  
  
"Celena?"  
  
Merle blinked at Hitomi. "Dilandau?"  
  
"Oooh, Celena!" Hitomi nodded. "It's been so long...I guess I just forgot or something."  
  
"Ha," Merle laughed dryly, and closed her eyes. "You meet her now and you'll _never_ forget her."  
  
"Van hates me now," Hitomi told her companion sadly. "He must. After all I said..."  
  
"I wouldn't count on it...." Merle told her knowingly. At Hitomi's questioning look, she continued, "I think you should go talk to him...."  
  
"Merle...?"  
  
"You can find him on a balcony identical to this on the other side of the castle," Merle replied, eyes closed.  
  
"A..ano....."  
  
"Get going," Merle opened her eyes and frowned at Hitomi. "He's on in the East Wing. Go!"  
  
"Merle, if I didn't know you any better, I'd say you're setting me up," Hitomi shook her head. "Ano...don't you still.."  
  
"Like Van-sama?" Merle laughed again. "I got a _real_ boyfriend."  
  
Hitomi fell over.  
  
"A...awhhaaa.....you did?"  
  
"Yup!" Merle giggled. "I'll tell you all about him. _After_ you talk to Van-sama."  
  
Hitomi stood up and streached. "You win."  
  
  
  


  
  


**_*****_**

  
  
A/N: Wussap, mah children? Yeah, anyways, sorry for the wait. Um....I'm working on part 4, expect that sometime in April. I have a life, kids, I need to get back to it!!! ^___^ I won't have much time for the story, so...um...yeah. Anyways, hope you enjoyed the story. I actually am begining to enjoy writing these things now, and I've become adicted to all my happy (happy as in breaking things and screaming and eating the microphone and heavy metal kill things happy) music. That's good, right? Incubus (old Incubus, not new Incubus) and Everclear are awesome, and I luurrrve Linkin Park (specially "One Step Closer"). Yeah yeah yeah, I'm done ranting. Stay cool, yo! Baibai!! ^__^ 

*I came to feed the fish*  
  
(But then they died)


End file.
